The Black Knights are looking to end the season with two huge wins on the bounce as they travel down to Texas to play in the Heart of Dallas Bowl a couple of weeks after ending the Navy curse.
Here are the three keys to beating the Midshipmen:
1) Stop Jeffery Wilson
The biggest key for Army on defense in this one is simple. The Black Knights must stop North Texas running back Jeffrey Wilson. The junior was a workhorse for the Mean Green all season and he has carried for 855 yards on the year. If not for a knee injury at the end of the season it is a pretty safe bet that Wilson would have finished with over 1,000 yards on the ground and he would have added to his13 touchdowns on the season.
It is also worth noting that by far Wilson’s most productive day of the year came against the Black Knights. He rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns a couple of months ago, torching an Army defense that ranks fourth in the country in total defense. Wilson is still carrying the knee injury, but if he is good to go then he will present a solid test for the Army linebacking unit.
2) Do not turn the ball over
This one is obvious, but the only reason that North Texas beat Army 35-18 in West Point this year was because of turnovers. It was by far the Black Knights worst offensive showing of the season as the team could not do anything right and gave the ball to UNT on no less than seven occasions.
This is a North Texas team that has faded badly down the stretch. The Mean Green averaged 20.2 points scored over the last five games and 39.2 points conceded. If Army can get on top early and not turn the ball over then there is no reason why the Black Knights shouldn’t turn this into a blowout.
3) Run the ball decisively
When Army played North Texas early in the year the coaching staff went to the pass too early. While the Army ground game was not being as effective as normal, asking Ahmad Bradshaw to throw the ball 21 times was never going to be a successful strategy. That proved to be the case as Bradshaw completed only 33 percent of his passes and threw no less than four game killing interceptions.
This time around the focus has to be on the ground game and sticking with it. Army is second in the nation in rushing at 327.8 yards per game, while the Mean Green gives up 219.5 yards per game on the ground which is 105th among FBS teams. There is no reason that the Army option failed the first time around, don’t expect it to happen again in Dallas.